In the first in our series from Public Health Wales on ‘Better health and wellbeing in Wales’, Dr Louisa Petchey talks us through their priorities and hopes for the future.
Everyone in Wales deserves the opportunity to live a long, healthy life. Good health isn’t just about individuals thriving, it’s the foundation for stronger communities, a fairer society, a resilient NHS, and a more prosperous Wales.
This is the future Public Health Wales is working towards. And we know we’re not doing it alone. Across Wales, a diverse and passionate voluntary sector is creating a healthier, fairer future and many of WCVA’s and our priorities align. This includes reducing inequality, promoting health and wellbeing through earlier support, and tackling the climate and nature emergency.
As we look ahead to a new Senedd, Public Health Wales has set out five policy priority areas where focused action could make the biggest difference to health and wellbeing. Each one emphasises prevention, addressing the causes of poor health, not just the consequences.
PUBLIC HEALTH WALES’S FIVE POLICY PRIORITIES
- Giving every child the best start in life to build lifelong health and wellbeing.
- Improving financial wellbeing through secure, fairly rewarded work that supports good health and a strong economy.
- Making our everyday places healthy by default, from our homes to our high streets.
- Ensuring care is joined-up and tailored to local needs, supporting whole-person health and a resilient system.
- Sustaining a healthy planet, protecting health now and for future generations.
Alongside these, we’ve put forward evidence-based policy proposals that offer practical, achievable steps toward better health. The economic case is clear: investing in prevention pays back. Every £1 invested in prevention returns £14 to society by enabling healthier lives, a stronger economy, and a sustainable NHS.
A SHARED MISSION FOR WALES
We see the impact of poor health every day, and we know how avoidable much of it is.
Right now, too many people experience unfair barriers to good health in Wales. There is a 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy for women between the least and most well-off communities, and a 16-year gap for men. Around a third of children grow up in poverty, and nearly 1 in 3 homes pose a health risk.
Looking ahead, close to 50,000 more people are expected to develop diabetes in the next decade, and air pollution could cost Wales nearly £1 billion each year in health and productivity costs. Smoking remains the greatest cause of preventable death in Wales, accounting for more than 1 in 10 deaths of people aged over 35.
These figures show the scale of the challenge and why prevention matters. Voluntary sector organisations see this daily, whether supporting families in poverty, helping communities access healthy food, or combating poor housing and environmental pollution.
They are also driving this shift through the services they deliver and the policy changes they advocate for. Many of the policies called for align closely with our five priorities:
- To give every child the best start in life, we need to consider children’s wellbeing in all policy decisions and collect comprehensive data on child health to inform them.
- On financial wellbeing, we need to support people with health challenges to enter, stay in, or return to work.
- To make everyday places healthier by default, we want to see more healthy and affordable homes, especially social housing, and raised standards in private rental housing. We also need to reduce visibility and availability of unhealthy products on highstreets, such as tobacco, vapes, and less healthy food.
- To join-up care, we emphasise linking health and community care with public services and voluntary organisations, supporting the whole person.
- For a healthy planet, we highlight the importance of accessible, affordable public transport, and of protecting communities from climate change.
WHAT WE CAN DO NEXT
Real and lasting change happens when we work together. Public health and voluntary sector organisations share a commitment to prevention and better health for everyone. With over 46,000 voluntary organisations across Wales, and more than a third of adults volunteering, we are well-placed to combine our strengths and achieve these shared ambitions.
Public Health Wales is committed to strengthening our close working with the voluntary sector, public bodies, and Welsh Government. Looking ahead, we want to:
- Deepen cross-sector collaboration, identify shared priorities and coordinate action on prevention.
- Advocate alongside the voluntary sector for increased investment in prevention, backed by evidence of impact and public support.
- Ensure all policies actively support keeping people well, recognising that prevention is everyone’s responsibility and one where the voluntary sector is leading the way.
- Amplify community voices so policy and service design reflects lived experiences.
Wales has a clear path toward a healthier, fairer, and more prosperous future and it depends on sustained commitment to prevention. If we act now, and act together, we can tackle the root causes of poor health and create lasting change for generations to come.
Dr Louisa Petchey is a Senior Policy Specialist at Public Health Wales.
To work with us on advocacy for prevention in Wales, please email phw.advocacy@wales.nhs.uk
Find out more about WCVA’s work in health and care.